Being a couch-potato entrepreneur has its ups and downs – for instance, getting up to go to the fridge, then sitting back down. Not living a very motivated lifestyle can be, well, demotivating. I want to tell you that it’s okay to accept that you are lazy, because you are one of millions. How many sexy, fit, energetic people do you actually see on the sidewalk? You might see one or two joggers for every twenty average Joes, but the majority of these people are walking from their car, to the coffee shop, to the office. That’s only three different places, and we all know those folks are parking up close, too. So to beat the “average”, you just have to walk to four different places. Sounds easy, right? That’s because it is.
The benefits of walking are numerous, such as reducing your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and the ever-dreaded thunder-thighs. The last example there is probably the most common reason for beginning a new, healthier lifestyle. If you want thunder-anything, make it a thunder-heart, because that implies epic, Zeus-like cardiovascular activity. Some might say the goal is to have lungs of steel, but one of the elements of steel is iron. Most older folks would agree that you want to avoid iron lungs. In all seriousness, however, walking is by far the easiest exercise anyone can do, you don’t even need special equipment aside from a pair of shoes.
Bette Midler Said It Best, “You’ve Got to Have Friends”
It’s a good idea to have a walking partner, but if you’re living the couch-potato lifestyle, your friends are probably couch-potatoes too. Try posting on Facebook to see if any of your friends want to go for a walk with you. Obviously, women need to play it safer than men, but luckily walk-a-thons for things women care about are happening all the time. Check your PTA calendar. If exercise-for-reform isn’t your thing, there’s a few other places to find a walking partner, and every internet entrepreneur should be familiar with them.
Find a Buddy, Make a Buddy
•Craigslist Community Ads – If you’re looking locally, there’s no better place than Craigslist. Simply search the community activities, or post one yourself. One thing I’ve started doing is taking the email addresses of people who send me Craigslist responses and putting them into Facebook, since you can search for people by email address. It helps distinguish who is real from who isn’t. This is especially helpful if you want to ensure making it home safely after your 5-mile loop with Ted the moonlighting taxidermist.
•Facebook Groups – Another great way to find local exercise partners is simply, once again, searching for, or creating, a group of like-minded individuals. The advantage Facebook has over Craigslist is that you can immediately see who is legit, and inviting people to join your group is a cinch. This might be the best course of action for someone that wants to start their own jogging club, as you can easily schedule events and invite people to sign up.
•Meetup.com- It is the world’s largest network for special-interest groups, so don’t be surprised if you find many hiking, bicycling and other outdoors-oriented groups here. The advantage to Meetup.com is the large variety of activities combined with the large userbase, so there really is something for everything. You’d be hard-pressed not to find something that interests you here, unless you’re an anti-social creature, in which case why are you looking for an exercise partner?
From Couch Spud to Super Stud
I hope I’ve given you a leg-up on putting one foot in front of the other, walking long distances can be taxing at first but like all exercise, your body acclimates after a while and soon you’ll find yourself excited to embark on new adventures each and every day, boldly venturing forth into the world like some kind of couch-potato nomad. Who knows, you might even find yourself looking at reviews of the best exercise bikes so that you can come home from your walk and get some serious pedalling done.
Freelance writer Rachel Cook is a fan of being fit, but admits she couldn’t reach her goals without the support of friends. She enjoys working from home because it allows her the flexibility to schedule exercise dates that mesh well with the hectic lives of her buddies. When not working, or browsing the wealth of information available at http://www.allexercisebikes.net, Rachel can be found baking, or making homemade jewelry.
